Gardeners Haringey Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Haringey is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening services throughout our local area. We aim to resolve any concerns quickly, fairly, and in a way that helps us improve our work. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise an issue and what you can expect from us at each stage of the process.

Purpose of this Complaints Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to provide a clear and consistent approach to handling complaints from domestic and commercial clients. It applies to all services we provide, including regular garden maintenance, one-off tidy ups, lawn care, hedge cutting, planting, and any related work carried out by our teams or subcontractors acting on our behalf.

This procedure covers concerns about the quality of work, the conduct of our gardeners, communication, scheduling, and any aspect of our service delivery.

What We Consider a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, whether it is made verbally or in writing, where a response or resolution is expected. You do not have to use the word complaint for us to treat your concern seriously. If something has gone wrong or does not meet your expectations, we want to know about it.

We encourage you to tell us as soon as possible after the issue arises so we can resolve it quickly and limit any impact on your garden or outdoor space.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in the way that is most convenient for you. You may speak to a member of our team on site during or immediately after a visit, or you may contact our office in writing. When you get in touch, please provide the following information so we can investigate effectively:

The name and address where the gardening work was carried out, the date or approximate date of the visit or service, a clear description of what went wrong or did not meet your expectations, any photographs or notes that help to explain the problem, and what outcome you would like to see, such as a return visit or correction of work.

We treat all complaints respectfully and confidentially. Raising a concern will not affect any ongoing or future services you receive from us.

Stage One: Informal Resolution

Where possible, we aim to resolve complaints informally and at an early stage. If you raise an issue while our team is on site, the lead gardener will try to address it immediately, for example by correcting work before leaving the property or arranging a prompt return visit.

If you contact our office after the visit, we will acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable time and aim to resolve straightforward issues at this first stage. Informal resolution may include clarifying what was agreed, offering advice, arranging remedial work, or providing an explanation where conditions such as weather or seasonal growth have affected the result.

Stage Two: Formal Investigation

If your complaint cannot be resolved informally, or if you are not satisfied with the initial response, you can ask for a formal investigation. At this stage, a manager or senior member of staff who was not directly involved in the original work will review your complaint.

They may contact you for more information, review job notes and schedules, speak to the gardeners who attended, and, where appropriate, arrange a site visit to inspect the garden. We aim to complete this investigation within a reasonable timescale, taking into account the nature and complexity of the complaint and any need to revisit the property.

Once the investigation is complete, we will provide a clear written response that sets out what we have found, whether we uphold your complaint in full or in part, and what actions we will take to put things right.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Where we find that our service has not met the standards we aim to provide, we will offer an appropriate remedy. Depending on the circumstances, this may include a return visit to correct or complete work, a partial or full credit on your account, or a reasonable reduction in the invoice where work cannot be remedied.

Our priority is always to put your garden and outdoor space back to the condition that was agreed, as far as is reasonably possible, and to maintain a positive, ongoing relationship with you.

Escalation and Further Steps

If you remain dissatisfied after our formal investigation and response, you may request that your complaint be reviewed again by a more senior manager, where available. This review will focus on whether the complaints procedure was followed correctly and whether the outcome was fair and reasonable based on the information available.

We will inform you of the outcome of this final internal review and explain any further options that may be open to you, such as seeking independent advice.

Our Commitments When Handling Complaints

When you raise a complaint with Gardeners Haringey, we are committed to treating you with respect and courtesy at all times, listening carefully to your concerns without making assumptions, keeping you informed about the progress of your complaint, and being open and honest about what went wrong and what we can realistically do to put it right.

We also use information from complaints to improve our services, training, and procedures. By telling us when something has not gone as expected, you help us maintain and improve standards for all our gardening clients.

Time Limits for Raising Concerns

To allow us to investigate effectively, we ask that you raise any concerns as soon as you reasonably can after the work has been carried out. Complaints about gardening work are usually most easily resolved when the condition of the garden and any issues can still be seen and assessed.

We may be unable to fully investigate complaints made a long time after the work took place, particularly where plants, lawns, or hedges have grown or changed significantly since our visit. However, we will always consider your concerns and explain clearly what we are able to do.

Review of this Complaints Procedure

We review this complaints procedure from time to time to ensure that it remains clear, fair, and effective for our clients across the area we serve. Any updates will be applied to new complaints from the date of change. If you have suggestions for improving this procedure, you are welcome to share them with us.

Gardeners Haringey values your feedback, whether positive or negative. Your comments help us to maintain a high standard of gardening services and to support healthy, attractive outdoor spaces in our community.